The 4th album with Portuguese
pianist, Joao Paulo and NY based saxophonist Peter Epstein, this time with
the young accordion player, Ricardo Dias who is well known among Portuguese
trad music fans as one of the members of the Portuguese group Brigada Victor
Jara, (named after the legendary south American singer.)

As opposed to the first
three recordings of Joao Paulo on MA, this one mostly involves traditional
Portuguese, as well as some Sephardic folk melodies. Joao Paulo discovered
in depth the rich musical culture of his own country through his association
with the folk song book (the most famous one in Portugal, published in the
2nd half of the 20th century) entitled, "Cancioneiro Popular Portugues" by
Italian musicologist Michel Giacometi. However, the melodies are only springboards
for Joao Paulo and Ricardo Dias` highly creative arrangements and the improvisations
that can be heard throughout the record.

Nascer
is a collection of free and personal performances of folk melodies, taken
from both the Portuguese and Sefardic traditions.

The absolute origin
of the music, as far as places and authors are concerned, will have to remain
in question.

References to Portuguese
and Sefardic roots only name, "thank" and pay tribute to the people who have
been preserving the melodies' memories through time.

All melodies are born
in certain places, within certain borders, but like human beings, melodies
are also very apt to cross borders and travel though countries and centuries,
in a non-ending voyage.

With this in mind, one
can perhaps grasp the poetical aimings of the title, Nascer (the Portuguese
"to be born") as a sign pointing to both music and life: